Sepp Blatter’s exit prompts call for new face

Footballing world seeks structural reforms in FIFA

ZURICH: Sepp Blatter’s shock resignation as FIFA president, hours before it emerged he was under investigation by US authorities, prompted widespread calls for root-and-branch reforms in football’s world governing body on Wednesday.

The Swiss national, who has led FIFA for 17 years, is being investigated by US prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a person who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters. An FBI spokesman declined to comment.

News of Blatter’s investigation was earlier reported by The New York Times and ABC News.

Blatter has not been charged with any wrongdoing and FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on Blatter being under investigation.

The 79-year-old announced his decision to step down at a news conference in Zurich on Tuesday, six days after police raided a hotel in the city and arrested several FIFA officials — and just four days after he was re-elected to a fifth term as president.

“FIFA needs profound restructuring,” he said. “I decided to stand again to be elected because I was convinced it was the best option for football. Although the members of FIFA gave me a new mandate, this mandate does not seem to be supported by everyone in the world.”

He said an election to choose a new president would be held as soon as possible, though a FIFA official said it would probably not take place until at least December.

Blatter will remain in his position until a successor is chosen. His daughter, Corinne Blatter-Andenmatten, told a Swiss newspaper her father’s decision to stand down was not tied to recent corruption allegations. “His decision has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the allegations going around,” she told daily Blick.

‘Now is the time for reforms’

European sports officials said Blatter’s resignation, with FIFA mired in the worst crisis in its 111-year history, was an important step, but that the organisation needed deeper changes.

“Beyond the people, structural reforms must be undertaken,” said French Sports State Secretary Thierry Braillard.

New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andy Martin said football must now rebuild its tattered reputation. “This has lifted a cloud and taken away a lot of the concerns of stakeholders and their association with the sport,” he said. “We now want a strong collaborative leader who can bring the football world together and can bring out the change that the game has been crying out for.”

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which has been a staunch ally of Blatter, said it was monitoring the situation and would discuss internally the “best way forward for both FIFA and world football”.

AFC member the Philippines Football Federation said it was surprised by Blatter’s decision, but noted this “offers a big opportunity to continue and intensify the reforms that have been started. Indeed, deliberate focus on more governance reform and transparency is now called for.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2015.

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